Karnataka sees 55-60 percent polling in first phase

Bangalore, April 23 (IANS) Karnataka recorded 50 to 55 percent voting in 17 of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies Thursday with Bangalore registering around 50 percent turnout, election officials said. “The overall percentage would be around 50 percent and in Bangalore (with three constituencies) it may touch 50 percent,” an official of the state election office said.

The voting in all the three Bangalore constituencies - South, Central and North - was moderate despite a widespread campaign by NGOs and candidates themselves to motivate the nearly six million electorate to troop to the polling booths.

The prestigious Bangalore South constituency recorded around 50 percent voting. It has Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary and former central minister H.N. Ananth Kumar seeking re-election for the fifth time, facing Congress young turk Krishna Byre Gowda and no-frills aviation pioneer Capt. G.R. Gopinath.

Bangalore North, from where former railways minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief (Congress) is contesting, was in the third position in Bangalore with around 45 percent polling.

Bangalore Central, from where former ’supercop’ H.T. Sangliana is contesting on the Congress ticket after crossing over from BJP, was slightly better with around 48 percent.

Highest voting of over 60 percent was recorded in Chikkodi in north Karnataka and the lowest of around 40 percent from Raichur, also in north Karnataka.

The polling was peaceful though at several places people complained of names missing from the voter list though they had election photo identity cards.

Around 20.6 million people were eligible to vote in the 17 constituencies.

Polling, which began on a dull note in Bangalore, did not pick up even though weather was pleasant following showers.

Voting took place in around 29,000 polling booths in the 17 constituencies.

Of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, the remaining 11 will go to polls in the third phase April 30.